It is a well-known song, which has resonated here and there since Sunday the disclosure of the results of the European elections. Baptized Pigsty, this song by the punk group Les Béruriers Noirs shouts to anyone who wants to hear it that “youth is pissing off the National Front”. A song often brandished in demonstrations which also has the particularity of being hostile to the police. Did its broadcast on the evening of the 2019 Music Festival in Nantes contribute to tensions between the police and the revelers gathered on Quai Wilson? And who played this last song when all the other sound systems had been cut? Did he contribute to the crowd movement and the fatal fall of Steve Maia Caniço in the Loire? This is what several protagonists seem to think in the trial of Commissioner Grégoire Chassaing, a police officer on trial for manslaughter since Monday.
He probably didn’t expect to be heckled like this. When he left courtroom number 101 of the Rennes criminal court, Nicolas R. seemed stunned. Cited as a witness, the man aged in his early forties was the last DJ to play sound on the evening of the 2019 Music Festival. The man was on the decks of the last sound system when the police arrived. arrived to ask him to turn off the music, which was supposed to stop at 4 a.m.
It was then almost 4:30 a.m. and a large crowd continued to dance in front of the speakers, a few meters from the Loire. “I wasn’t aware that the music had to stop at 4 o’clock,” assured the DJ. The latter explained that he had turned off the sound to hear the police’s instructions. The problem is that he decided to put the music back on “but not loudly”. A spark sufficient to ignite the audience and lead to exchanges of projectiles and tear gas, without anyone knowing who started it. A few minutes later, Steve Maia Caniço fell into the Loire and lost his life, drowned in the dark waters of the river. The 24-year-old after-school leader, who did not know how to swim, was found five weeks later.
The police speak of a “provocation” and intervene
In the recordings of the police conversations, Commissioner Chassaing spoke of “a provocation” by the DJ who played the music again and ordered his troops to go and equip themselves. On the stand, the witness denied having broadcast the Bérus song, explaining that he “does not like this song”. Not completely convinced and not really convincing. “You are a liar and a provocateur,” launched Commissioner Chassaing’s lawyer. To support his statement, Me Louis Cailliez relied on two statements made by the DJ, who accused the high-ranking officer of having robbed him with a gas canister. However, the investigation showed that the commissioner was not equipped with it at that time. ” You lied. Was it to cause harm to my client? Today, what is the difference between you and Mr. Chassaing? »
The young lawyer was not the only one to lose his temper. Faced with the DJ, the public prosecutor also let go, believing that the witness holds some responsibility for Steve’s death. “When we go beyond police orders, we switch to the dark side of force,” said Philippe Astruc, before insisting. “You don’t feel you have any moral responsibility for what happened? “. Embarrassed, the DJ tried to justify himself. “It wasn’t music that pushed him into the water. When I put the music back on, I didn’t think about it, I was influenced by the people who asked to put the sound back on. I was caught up in the excitement of the party. I didn’t provoke anyone, I was just playing music. »
“I didn’t pay attention to the time”
Another DJ called to testify a few minutes earlier had confirmed that he had been ordered to turn off the sound at 4 a.m. An unusual practice in Nantes, where the party could previously continue late into the night. “It was the middle of the evening, I hadn’t paid attention to the time,” he defended himself.
Asked about the positioning of the speakers, directed towards the Loire to limit nuisance, the DJ admitted that he and the organizers had “not thought about” the potential danger of the river located in front of the stage. “We settled wherever we wanted.” It was very close to this place that Steve Maia Caniço fell into the water. Without ever managing to get out of it.
More information on the Steve case
The trial of Commissioner Grégoire Chassaing, recently promoted to the direction of the Lyon police, continues until Friday at the Rennes criminal court, where he was disoriented.
